Cross-Checking My Heart

Chapter 2

"Do you want the picture of the sailboat or the beach in the closet," Kara asked me.

"Let's do the beach, I like it better," I answered.

"Well there you go, your room is all done and in a record six hours! But honestly I can't believe we did it," Kara said excitedly.

Although I met her a few hours ago I had a feeling she was going to be my closest friend around here.

But she was right, what we did with my room in six short hours was amazing. We set up my bed, desk, closet, bathroom, and even my gym and it all liked flat out amazing.

Adorn chose the exact moment that I was going to thank Kara to come in and tell her my parents had invited their whole family over for dinner.

"Well Haley, looks like you are going to meet the entire Jennings clan tonight. Just let me apologize early for our behavior. We can be a handful when we are all together," Aaron said with a look of seriousness on his face as the doorbell rang.

Oh boy!
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"And by that time, Kara and Aaron were already pretty big hockey fans! They decided to run down to the ice and yell until one of the players heard them and when he did he gave them each and autograph and a ticket to the next game," their mom, Alexis, told my dad. They were all having a ball. I guess I won't have to worry about my parents not finding any friends.

"So I hear that Haley here plays some hockey. Are you any good?"

"She as good as her brother, if not better. She was the star of her all girls hockey team back in Minnesota," my dad replied proudly. He had always been proud of the fact that I was a tomboy and loved hockey. When my mom got pregnant he had hoped for another boy. I guess it's okay that I'm a girl since I do play hockey and am not a priss like some of the other girls at my last school.

"Wow Haley, I didn't know you were that good," Aaron said sarcastically, "We should run some drills together so i can see how good you really are.

"Fine, just tell ,me when and where. I will surprise you so get some rest. you will need it," I said sounding very cocky. Aaron and I stared at each other until his mom mentioned his brother Mikey.

Mikey was the youngest of Aaron and Kara's siblings. There was Aaron, who was 17, Kara, who was 16 like me, Olivia and Zachary, who were 11, and then Mikey, who is 7. Their parents Alexis and Andrew were really nice and i personally thought of Alexis as a saint for giving birth to five children.

"Well Mikey was looking for someone to teach him how to play hockey and because Aaron is playing for the school he can't help, maybe Haley could help."

When I hear Andrew say this I can't help but get defensive.

"If Aaron won't have time what makes you think I will?"

"Well, we don't have a girls team so you won't be playing for the school and I don't think we have any rec leagues either," he's stated as of it we're common knowledge.

"Of course I know this but I will be playing for the guys team at school."

At that comment, my mom slammed her hands on the dinning room table and stood up saying, "What do you mean you are playing for the boys team. We never discussed this. Alan, tell her that she can't do this."

My dad stayed quiet because the truth was that dad knew the whole time about me playing with them. Sarah's dad was the coach and he said that he would make sure I was taken care of off and on the ice.

"Alan!" My mother began to scream at my father about keeping secrets from her and for allowing me to do this.

"Jack would have wanted this," I s all he said and the room went silent. You could have hear a cricket chirp.

After what seemed like an hour, my mother agreed to let me play.

"Well then Haley, I suggest that you get your gear," Aaron said looking at his phone, "our first practice starts in twenty minutes."